Archives for October 2017

Kirksville Police Officers responded to a 911 hang up call in the 800 block of South First Street yesterday morning at around 3:20AM. Upon arrival officers heard yelling in the 700 block of South Sheridan. They located a person standing in front of a vehicle speaking with the driver. Officers witnessed the vehicle accelerate and hit the person causing him to land on the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then reversed its course causing the victim to roll off the hood onto the pavement. The vehicle then “revved its engine” before accelerating forward towards where the victim was laying on the ground. The victim was able to move out of the way to avoid being run over. The vehicle fled from the scene. The driver was identified as 29-year-old Sabrina Hatter. She was arrested for Domestic Assault 1st Degree and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. Hatter has admitted to driving the vehicle but told police she did not recall striking the victim with her vehicle.

The Kirksville Police Department would like to remind everyone of some very important safety tips for those ghosts and goblins that will be trick or treating this Halloween in the Kirksville community.

• Make sure children are accompanied by an adult or a responsible guardian when they go door-to-door.

• Instruct children never to eat anything until they are home and the treats have been examined by an adult. Throw away anything that is unwrapped.

• Check the wrappers of commercial treats for any signs of tampering.

• Make sure children’s costumes fit and that they can see well. Instead of masks that restrict vision, makeup should be used.

• Have children stay in their own neighborhood and on well-lit streets.

• Make sure children carry a flashlight.

• Teach your children to use the sidewalk. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the street facing cars.

• Know what friends your child will be with and the routes they are walking.

• Leave a porch light on so children will know that it is OK to visit your home.

The Kirksville Police Department urges citizens to be safety conscious all the time, but particularly at Halloween when more children are out on our local streets. Please take every measure to help secure the well-being of the children in our community and have a safe and Happy Halloween!

If you have further questions or you notice or experience anything suspicious this Halloween season, please contact the police department at 785-6945 or 660-5621(after 5 PM).

The Minear Family is celebrating the groundbreaking of the White Oaks Barn, in Kirksville. The family is in the process of constructing the White Oaks Barn, which will be a venue for various events, including: weddings, conferences, meetings, ceremonies, graduation parties, reunions, formals and social gatherings. Margaret Minear, along with her husband, Brent, and two sons Brady and Drake, says the family runs an appraisal business and has looked at several different wedding barns across northern Missouri and decided this venture could be a good opportunity for Kirksville. She says they are a fifth generation family farm and wanted to bring another type of business to the area. I’m Karen Johnson.

The scaled back hours on St. Louis interstate highways follows a 90-day pilot program aimed at helping to reduce crime. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch obtained a police memo showing that starting Oct. 14, troopers reduced their presence along Interstate 55 and Interstate 70 to about six hours a day. Troopers had been patrolling those interstates for 21 hours a day since July, when Gov. Eric Greitens announced a plan aimed at allowing city police to focus on dangerous crime. Greitens spokesman Parker Briden says the pilot program was a “great success.” It isn’t clear if police officials agree. Interim Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole is referring all questions to the patrol. I’m Karen Johnson

The husband of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri is in a hospital intensive care unit. McCaskill speaking on Twitter says that Joseph Shepard “has a very big heart but right now not working very well. Currently in ICU. Thanks for your prayers in advance.” McCaskill spokeswoman Sarah Feldman says Shepard is hospitalized in St. Louis, but she said she had no further details about his condition.McCaskill and Shepard, a millionaire developer, have been married since 2002. The couple has a home in suburban St. Louis and a condominium in Washington. I’m Karen Johnson.

A Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested and charged recently for illegal hunting crimes in Colorado.

The crimes reportedly happened a year. According to court documents, 25-year-old Kade Singleton, of Bethel, Mo, has since posted bond on the allegations.They include: one felony count of taking wildlife and detaching the bull elk head and antlers w/ intent to abandon the carcass, one felony count of unlawfully killing and abandoning wildlife, two counts of hunting wildlife outside of an established season, two counts of unlawfully taking wildlife and unlawfully failing to reasonably attempt to care for and provide for human consumption of bull and cow elk.

Two people were injured in a crash near Marceline. The Missouri Highway Patrol says the crash happened North of Marcelinie at Highway 36 one quarter mile east of Highway 5, at around 5:30PM yesterday. According to a crash report, a vehicle driven by a 43-year-old woman of Boling Brook, IL was attempting to pass another vehicle, when it merged back into the driving lane too quickly, striking the vehicle. The passing vehicle overturned multiple times, ejecting one passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt. She received serious injuries and was flown to University Hospital. The Boling Brook woman was sent to Pershing Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries.

Weather permitting, MoDOT will be doing culvert work on Chariton County Route W between Chariton County Road 1040 and Randolph County Road 1045 tomorrow . The road will be temporarily closed between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Please use alternate routes during this time.

In Marion County today through – November 3rd, U.S. Route 36 eastbound wil be reduced to one lane traffic at various points between Marion County Route Z and Marion County Route J for pavement work from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

Also in Marion County today and tomorrow on U.S. Route 61 northbound, there will be one lane traffic on U.S. 61/U.S. 24 bridge beginning at the U.S. 24 eastbound to Missouri Route 6 ramp and ending at the Missouri Route 6 to U.S. 24 eastbound ramp from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day for road work.

For more information, contact MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK MoDOT . You can also visit online at www.modot.org/northeast.

Residents can use the smartphone app to report local crimes and receive updates on police activities. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the Columbia Police Department’s free mobile app, ColumbiaPD, is available on both Android and Apple operating systems. Department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer says the goal of the app is to present the department’s online services in a more user friendly manner.She says submissions through the app won’t be monitored for emergency situations and that residents should call the police department for situations that require an officer to be immediately dispatched. The department will use the submissions to identify areas with high criminal activity. I’m Karen Johnson

The Kansas City Star is reporting an ethnic slur and the letters “KKK” were painted on the windows of the predominantly black Concord Fortress of Hope Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The vandalism and break-in happened early Sunday. Officials say someone lit a chair on fire inside the church’s financial office, but it was quickly extinguished by sprinklers. A vending machine also was broken into.The incident is being investigated by Kansas City authorities and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Worship services continued as scheduled Sunday. Kansas City Councilman Quinton Lucas attends the church. He says the incident is heartbreaking but it won’t define the church. I’m Karen Johnson